Journalists Aseyev and Halazyuk returned from captivity

On December 29, as part of swap of prisoners, the journalists Stanislav Aseyev and Oleg Halazyuk, who were unlawfully detained in occupied Donetsk, went home. DetektorMedia reported it citing Radio Liberty.

As IMI reported, Stanislav Aseyev (Stanislav Vasin), journalist and correspondent for the Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, is held in captivity by Russian hybrid forces in the occupied part of the Donbas from May or June 2017, on charges of "espionage in favor of Ukraine."

On August 17, 2018, the Russia 24 TV program showed a program in which the captured journalist Stanislav Aseyev allegedly confessed that he had been working for Ukrainian intelligence.

On August 17, 2018, Radio Free Europe / Radio Free Europe reported that it considered a very dubious "confession" in the espionage of Stanislav Aseyev, broadcasted by "Russia 24" TV channel.

On August 20, 2018, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) reacted to the report of Russia 24 on the "confession" of the "espionage" of Ukrainian journalist Stanislav Aseyev (Vasina) and urged him to be released immediately.

On August 20, 2018, journalists, Ukrainian media and human rights organizations expressed profound indignation at “confession” of Stas Aseyev and supposed that the journalist could have been under physical or psychological pressure. 

"Reporters Without Borders" and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Russian state TV channel Rossiya 24’s decision to broadcast a “confession” by Stanislav Aseyev.

Oleg Halazyuk has been a prisoner of war since August 2017. The journalists did not disclosed his identity for a long time: they expected that exchange talks would be more effective like this. The head of the Civil Liberties Center, Oleksandr Matviychuk, said he had been detained twice. He returned to occupied Donetsk because he was unable to find work in the Ukrainian government-controlled territory